JOHN McGLYNN inherited a financial nightmare at Hearts and yet insists he’s found the job of his dreams.

The Jambos boss doesn’t know if the club will survive until the end of the season and the SPL have hit them with an indefinite transfer ban for failure to pay players.

You’ll spot a tram on Princes Street before Vladimir Romanov and McGlynn fears raiding parties will target his best players in January. But, humour and humility are his greatest allies as he gears up for the second half of a season he is still convinced can be a success.

McGlynn, who takes Hearts to Ross County today, said: “I’ve an advantage in that I don’t have any hair to pull out. Seriously, throughout my career I’ve never had a great deal of money to spend.

“I had five and a half years at Raith with no money and budget cuts. The most I spent on a player at Stark’s Park was £7000 and, in total, I didn’t spend more than £15,000 in my time there.

“Hearts was a big challenge but I’ve never really wanted a quiet life. The timing of my arrival was maybe a wee bit unfortunate but this is a great football club and the players have been fantastic. I’ve also always believed if it doesn’t kill you it makes you stronger and the fact I was at Hearts before and had to deal with a few difficult situations held me in good stead.

“The job’s been great and some amazing things have happened. We played Liverpool home and away and gave them two difficult games and that was a massive step in my development as a coach.

“We also have a great youth policy at this club and I’m very much a believer in it. My brief is to bring through young players. Many have made their debuts already and many more will in future.”

Unsurprisingly, Hearts have struggled to find consistency in the SPL this time around and were recently knocked out of the Scottish Cup by arch rivals Hibs, the side they defeated in last season’s final.

However, McGlynn views the future positively although much, he confessed, will be determined by the calls the club’s owner takes during the transfer window.

He added: “Mr Romanov has managed to get a lot of money for players who have left in the past.

“I don’t know if they need X amount of money to come into the club in January, if they have to accept lower offers or if they bite the bullet and hope the revenue raised from a potential appearance in the League Cup Final will be enough to see us through to the end of the season.

“Clearly, I would like as many players as possible to stay because it gives me the best chance of doing my job properly.

“Our defence is very good and that might be an area of the team most sought after by others, but the main thing is Hearts survive – and we’re not out of the woods yet.

“At the start of every season most Hearts fans would probably target third in the league and a good cup run and that would normally have been my expectation as well.

“But this has been a difficult time, with the transfer embargo and the club coming very close to being served with a winding up order. Perhaps I haven’t enjoyed the freedom to bring in players of previous managers, but we’ve hung in and done as well as we possibly could have.

“We’re in the semi-final of the League Cup and that’s a box ticked. We want to be higher in the table but there are reasons why we’re not quite there yet.

“We cannot win the Scottish Cup this season but we still hope to progress in the season and then bring other players in the summer.

“Most people recognise we are going through a transitional period right now, and there will be another one in the summer. That is how it will be.”

Only Dundee have scored fewer goals in the SPL than Hearts, although only the Celtic defence have conceded fewer.

Striker Gordon Smith has started the last four games in the SPL and insists he and John Sutton are the men to deliver.

Smith, 21, said: “The team have scored six goals since we’ve been partnered together and we’re creating more chances.

“I’ve never really had a run of games in the side, the most before now was two start in a row. I’m beginning to get to grips with the SPL now.”